Michael Gaigg: Über UI/UX Design

Evaluation: iPad 2 for Designers

Posted by Michael Gaigg

Installed applications on iPad

You might have noticed that this blog has gone quiet for some time... but let me assure you, I haven't been. I just needed space to finish up some projects here at Esri and to experiment with some new cool stuff.
Along the way I was able to test the iPad 2 to see if it would add value to the life of a designer/developer.

My Goal

My goal was to find out whether I could increase my productivity by using an iPad (2) during my daily routine at work (meetings, workshops, drafting, coding). I wanted to find out if it makes sense during a meeting to scribble on the tablet and be done before I return to my office, if my team mates can collaborate (comment, enhance, brainstorm) with me faster and more efficient and overall if the little black gadget saves me time and energy.

First Impression

My first objective was to install only free apps related to my field. This task alone turned out to be really cumbersome using the iStore. So I turned to the web and found plenty of nice blogs suggesting apps, some of these apps really powerful but other apps turned out to have switched to (outrageous) paid mode.

Next I looked into paid apps and the possibility to snatch a free trial by contacting their customer service. NO WAY JOSE. I was turned down with the argument that iStore controls the distribution of the apps and doesn't allow free trials - what a downer!! Can anybody confirm this? Are there alternatives I haven't thought of?

Thirdly I installed apps that I though might be useful for general tasks like note-taking, document sharing, etc.

Evaluation

I started bringing the little black gadget to meetings and started playing around with it during breaks. Whenever I saw a colleague with an iPad I asked for their experiences using it in a professional setting.

I installed the following apps:

Notehub

Description: Any of the following types can be stored as 'notes': Browser, Canvas, Calculator, Note, Tasks, Map
Features: Share by email, save to photo library, publish to posterous or dropbox
Facit: really useful

iMockups

Description: tool to create mockups very similar to Balsamiq (that I use)
Features: share by email and then export to balsamiq
Facit: no import from balsamiq in free version

Y!Sketch

Description: sketch anything on a map and let the map use this as the area of interest and show restaurant choices
Facit: not really a productivity tool, but i was intersted to see it because a map was involved

SketchPad lite

Description: sketch simple to complex geometries
Facit: didn't quite see the use of it in our workflows

GoToMeeting & TeamViewer

Description: both are meeting/sharing applications and very useful
Facit: nothing that the laptop couldn't do

To Do's Lite

Description: Create todo lists
Facit: didn't see how to share/sync this list, ads are ok, not really distracting and if it helps to pay a free version I'm fine with it

Springpad

Description: nice todo list organizer
Features: see your own 'notebook' or your friend's, sync with your email account or share via facebook/twitter
Facit: good organizer

Doodly Buddy

Doodly Buddy

Description: draw cute paintings with your finger
Facit: have a look at the painting to the right that was done by my 16 months old son (with a little help from daddy) to see what I mean

Evernote

Description: notetaking, sharing and syncing
Facit: almost standard app across all devices, a little cumbersome to type without external keyboard, laptop or pen and paper would be faster

iBrainstorm

Description: sketch your ideas onto a corkboard
Features: send in email or save to photos, attach post-it notes
Facit: kinda funny but input methods/selections seemed limited

Storyboards

Description: this one I liked a lot - create and sketch scenes that together create a story
Facit: free version only allows 2 storyboards and 10 drawings per storyboard without options to export or print, premium version is $ 15.-

iBooks

Description: digital bookshelf on the go
Features: sync between your devices
Facit: good reading experience

Documents 2

Description: sync documents (word, excel, powerpoint, etc.) via wifi or google docs
Facit: free version has annoying ads

Skype

I have that on my phone/laptop too
Description: popular video conferencing app
Facit: must have on any device

Flipboard

Description: newspaper-like access to your twitter/facebook and more streams
Features: include your social streams
Facit: really nice and interesting way to get news updates

Sonar

Description: using foursquare connect you can find out who is in the same room with you and how you are connected with them
Facit: as foursquare is becoming more and more popular this guy can work well also

Cool Hunting

Description: get reducted news on the following topics: Design, Tech, Style, Travel, Culture, Food+Drinks
Facit: good source of inspiration

Moodboard Lite

Description: exactly what it says, paste anything onto a board-like canvas
Features: screenshots, notes, text, photos
Facit: collect inspirational content

Conclusion

No, I will not use iPad and would not recommend it to others for professional design/development purposes.

Here is why:

• As long as you are within your internal network the iPad doesn't give you any advantage - even slows you down considerably - over a laptop with keyboard, mouse, projector, and access to internal network resources.
• The iPad is a great tool to consume content, but I found it really difficult to create content let alone collaborate. Pencil and paper or a clean whiteboard seemed to be more intuitive and easy to use/follow than a gadget on the table.
• Some apps were really promising but lacked important features (import existing sketch files) in the free version.
• Generally one has to learn not to get distracted by the constant online environment, I found it harder to focus and follow an active meeting.
• The biggest and probably most overlooked downfall is something very benign though: despite contrary thinking, your credibility might suffer considerably when using an iPad in front of other people. You might appear to not paying enough attention or just playing around, be it the case or not. Like with cell phones, we are just learning to use (and not use) them as well as being perceived as ubiquitous by others.

Open questions

Do you guys have any answers/suggestions/experiences to the following questions?

• Would traveling/being at the client make better use of the iPad?
• Have I overlooked any really powerful free app?
• Would a bigger wallet give me what I need?